Vineyard and winemaking
Haguenau is a south-east-facing lieu-dit with deep marl and limestone soils. Its warm exposure helps Riesling achieve flavour and breadth, while the calcareous bedrock preserves the acidity and mineral tension needed to balance the site’s naturally fuller profile.
The certified-organic grapes are picked by hand and fermented with indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled stainless steel. Maturation on fine lees adds texture and finesse without introducing an oak character, allowing the individuality of the vineyard to remain clear in the 2019 wine.
Tasting notes
Appearance
Bright gold with a clear, polished appearance.
Nose
Preserved lemon, crisp pear and white flowers are joined by dried citrus peel and a subtle stony note.
Palate
Dry and structured, with the marl soils giving a sense of volume around a precise core of citrus and orchard fruit. Limestone freshness keeps the wine energetic, while bottle age has softened the edges and brought a gently savoury persistence to the finish.
Food pairing
Serve with roast hake and brown-shrimp butter, smoked trout with horseradish cream, pork schnitzel, or a celeriac and mushroom gratin. Its combination of breadth and acidity also suits a warm goat’s cheese and chicory salad.
Background story
A named lieu-dit sits between a broad regional wine and an officially classified grand cru, allowing a producer to focus attention on a particular vineyard’s identity. Haguenau gives Mader a distinctive expression of Riesling in which marl-derived weight is matched by limestone energy.
The domaine was introduced to Sommelier’s Choice by Eric Zweibel MS, an Alsace-born Master Sommelier trained under Gérard Basset MS MW. Haguenau is an apt example of why the recommendation mattered: a relatively little-known site translated with clarity, restraint and a strong sense of place.
